"Hmm..."
After gaining so many new powers at once, Setsuna took a while to sort through the abilities of the four newly acquired Herrscher Cores.
Herrscher of Thunder: absolute control over electromagnetic forces.
Herrscher of Wind: creation and manipulation of ideal fluids.
Herrscher of Death: control over the rate of biological cell apoptosis.
Herrscher of Fire: manipulation of molecular motion.
"Whoa, whoa, so now you're basically a six-Herrscher composite? Can you use combo techniques?"
Gudako leaned in curiously.
"Like combining Thunder Herrscher power with Fire Herrscher—making you, say, the Herrscher of Lightningfire or something?"
"???"
Bonk—
Setsuna smacked her lightly on the head.
"What's with that name? Sounds like something out of an R18 parody."
"I've got too many new abilities to handle right now. Let me calm down first."
When he'd acquired the powers of the Herrscher of Corruption and the Herrscher of Reason before, he had plenty of time to adapt and learn.
But stuffing in four more Cores all at once—besides the sheer surge in strength—left him momentarily overwhelmed by the unfamiliar powers.
"It's easy to understand if we take them one at a time," Grey said, hands on hips.
"The Herrscher of Thunder grants absolute electromagnetic manipulation. I recall another world we discovered had someone with a similar ability..."
"I think her name was Misaka Mikoto? But Herrscher powers are way cooler—Commander, you can make miracles with sheer force."
The application of Herrscher powers depended on two things: knowledge and capability.
When Welt Yang used the Herrscher of Reason's power, his results were limited by his knowledge and strength—he could only construct standard weapons and small ships. But Setsuna could conjure fleets large enough to blot out the sky.
He could even modify the Eternal Snowfall on an extradimensional scale.
In the original timeline, though Sirin possessed six Cores, she was still just a child—her use of Herrscher powers was rudimentary at best, limited to throwing meteors and summoning Honkai Beasts.
Zzzap—
A sphere of lightning formed in Setsuna's palm.
With a casual flick, a streak of purple lightning tore across the void, shooting through the stars and striking a distant asteroid.
Backed by his immense power, even a normal strike resembled a strategic-grade weapon.
"Whoa, that's as strong as a focused plasma arc!" several shipgirls exclaimed in awe.
"Electromagnetic force can also be used to hack electronic systems and disrupt external signals—to prevent mental interference or control," Grey reminded.
"Of course, the Eternal Snowfall already has plenty of electronic warfare methods. Plus, with Nymph around, I doubt anyone could pull off a mind attack on the Commander anyway."
"So basically, I'm the upgraded version of Railgun Girl, huh?"
Setsuna chuckled.
"I could also extract iron sand from the ground to form blades, summon thunder giants, create lightning storms, even levitate using electromagnetic repulsion..."
He paused to think.
It was quite a versatile ability, but most of it felt like showy tricks to him.
After all, as one of the four fundamental forces of physics, electromagnetism shouldn't be reduced to flashy gimmicks or oversized coils.
"Electromagnetic manipulation... magnetic fields?"
Gazing down at the planet beneath him, Setsuna suddenly had a bold idea.
He extended his hand and invoked his authority.
Zzz—
A faint ionized radiation spread across Earth.
In labs worldwide, scientists suddenly found their instruments going haywire. Artificial satellites and power grids failed almost instantly.
Migrating birds and fish sensed the anomaly, panicking and scattering chaotically.
Compasses and similar tools were completely disrupted—rendered useless.
"Stop!!!—"
Edison and Einstein both turned pale, grabbing Setsuna's arm.
"You're flipping the planet's magnetic field?! That could trigger a mass extinction!!"
"I'm just testing it—I've got control. Besides, I realized I can also adjust the field's strength," Setsuna explained calmly.
He was still unfamiliar with the power, but he could already tell—controlling Earth's magnetic field was within his reach.
"Manipulating the geomagnetic field?!"
Tesla flinched in shock.
As expected, whenever this man made a move, it was always something unthinkable.
"Hmm..."
Setsuna rested his chin on his hand, his gaze drifting toward the distant sun.
"In theory, the magnetic fields of stars should also be within my control... though Earth's still useful. I'll test it later on some barren star system."
"???"
The Honkai scientists froze in disbelief.
"Control a star's magnetic field? That could trigger a solar storm or even a helium flash!!"
"That's an astronomical-scale catastrophe, do you realize that?!—"
As brilliant scientists, they immediately grasped the implications—and the sheer horror—of Setsuna's idea.
By disrupting a star's magnetic field, he could cause the sun to release immense bursts of electromagnetic radiation, streams of charged particles, and plasma clouds.
If intense enough, such an event could sterilize an entire star system.
Worse still, twisting the magnetic fields of a stellar core might trigger a helium flash—a cataclysmic stellar expansion like in The Wandering Earth—where the sun would swell hundreds or thousands of times larger, turning into a red giant and engulfing everything in orbit.
"Holy crap..."
Even the Honkai scientists went pale, and Jingwei was utterly stunned.
If the Herrscher of Thunder from the Previous Era had ever thought like Setsuna, humanity would've been long extinct.
"She couldn't have done it," Grey said, shaking her head.
"Most Herrschers are basically illiterate. They barely understand how to channel Honkai energy. How could they compare to the Commander?"
She puffed her chest proudly.
"This kind of ability depends entirely on the user's knowledge level. And fortunately, our Commander has a world-class research team behind him."
"With us around, we can push Herrscher power output to 1500% efficiency!"
"You're the illiterate ones! All of you!" protested Senti indignantly.
Whoosh—
Grey tossed Senti a higher mathematics test paper.
"Not admitting it? Come on, give this a try."
"..."
"The Herrscher of Sentience has modified your consciousness—you think you scored full marks!"
"...I'm an artificial intelligence, thank you very much. Not under your jurisdiction."
After the brief commotion, Setsuna turned his attention back to the remaining powers.
The Herrscher of Death's authority allowed control over the rate of cellular apoptosis—similar to Cecilia's weapon, Black Abyss.
The Herrscher of Fire could manipulate molecular motion on a microscopic level to generate extreme heat.
In the Previous Era, the Herrscher of Fire had turned Australia into a sea of fire within a week. Her Core was later forged into the most destructive Divine Key—Judgment of Shamash.
As for the Herrscher of Wind, her ability to create and manipulate ideal fluids sounded obscure.
An ideal fluid had zero viscosity—it ignored drag, friction, and buoyant deviation.
Such fluids didn't exist in reality; air and water only had low viscosity by comparison.
Originally, the Herrscher of Wind used this authority to create tornadoes, generate slicing wind blades, and even use air currents as radar.
"Hmm..."
"I'll take my time studying it," Setsuna mused.
He wasn't lacking in destructive power. The Eternal Snowfall carried over a hundred Photoid cannons capable of extinguishing stars in an instant.
The Fallen Star Lance could unleash destruction on a cosmic scale—most offensive powers couldn't compare to the Juggernaut's main gun.
What he wanted now were unique, conceptual abilities. That required deep understanding of each Herrscher's authority.
Fortunately, he had a highly imaginative and technically brilliant research team backing him.
"Commander, now that you've mastered six Herrscher Cores, you're approaching the concept of Finality itself," said Kayo Senju and Grey.
"Even if you haven't gathered all the Herrscher Cores yet, your own power should already be enough."
"We've also extracted a portion of the Herrscher of Finality's remaining Honkai energy from the lunar relics. Combined with your abilities, it should allow resonance with the Cocoon of Finality in the other dimension."
"Hm?"
Setsuna caught the key phrase.
"You mean...?"
"We can tear through the veil of reality itself—and face the Cocoon of Finality head-on."
...
A month later—
On one side of the space station, inside a massive experimental facility, the Research Division had rolled out another colossal machine, almost identical in scale to the Honkai Energy Decomposition Unit.
"This is a great triumph of science and technology! Watch carefully and learn well!"
Grey lectured earnestly as Einstein, Tesla, and the other Honkai scientists looked on in amazement. After weeks of study, they had finally reached the point where they could barely keep up with the Starsea Empire's Research Division—serving as assistants or technical aides.
"I've named it the Finality Destroyer, Model MK-1."
Grey stood proudly with her hands on her hips as she introduced the machine to Setsuna.
"This device combines the residual energy of the Herrscher of Finality excavated from the Moon. Commander, with your power, it can simulate the force of true Finality for a short time."
"With that, we can tear through the veil of reality and directly reach the Cocoon of Finality."
"'We'? ..." Cecilia frowned, sensing something off.
"Of course! The machine supports multi-person transmission," Grey explained matter-of-factly. "I'm just worried that even if the Commander fights with everything he's got, he might still fail to defeat the Cocoon of Finality—so this all-purpose nanobot has to be ready to back him up..."
Bonk—
Setsuna lightly knocked her on the head.
"Who are you looking down on? You just want to go there yourself, don't you?"
"Ow—!"
Grey squatted down, clutching her head.
"Ahem... The Cocoon of Finality is a fundamental structure of the Honkai Universe! Of course I want to study it firsthand—it's got immense scientific value! How could I miss that opportunity?"
"..."
Setsuna chuckled.
"Fine. If you can handle yourselves, you can come along."
"Woohooo—!"
Planck, Edison, and the others, along with the research lolis, all rushed forward, crowding around Setsuna.
"To seek truth in the morning and die content in the evening! Commander, take me with you!!!"
"..."
"Alright then," Setsuna said with a resigned sigh, stepping into the machine with the group.
The device resembled a quantum transfer chamber, filled with bizarre instruments and intricate circuitry.
[Honkai Energy guidance: ready.]
[Simulating the Power of Finality—preparing Honkai Energy release...]
As the AI's mechanical voice echoed, Setsuna followed its prompts and began channeling his power.
The authorities of the Herrscher of Reason, Corruption, Thunder, and others all merged together.
Vmmm—
A massive energy storm erupted throughout the experimental chamber, surging across the entire station.
Einstein felt like a canoe caught in a hurricane, tossed violently back and forth.
If not for the energy shields, they would have been obliterated or corrupted by the raw Honkai energy in seconds.
Crack—
A sharp sound split the air as space itself fractured.
A rift slowly opened above their heads, revealing a kaleidoscopic distortion of light and color.
"Is it safe? Nothing's going to go wrong... right?" someone asked nervously, trembling.
"Impossible!!"
"This machine has a 99.85% success rate of crossing into Finality, as per my calculations! It's far more stable than the last Honkai Energy Decomposer..." Grey declared proudly, patting her chest. "Once we defeat Finality, I'll go home and party with the Commander!"
"???"
"Could you not jinx it like that right now?! That 0.15% failure rate is making me nervous!" Tesla's instincts screamed disaster.
"What's there to worry about? Unless some external interference causes an unpredictable event, there's absolutely no way it could fa—"
BOOM—!
KABOOM!!!
A massive surge of energy exploded overhead.
The nearby Angeloids and research lolis barely had time to react before the enormous machine disintegrated into dust, the resulting energy shockwave shaking the entire station.
"Was that an earthquake?! Or did the anti-gravity system just fail?!"
The main structure of the space station shook violently several times. Equipment clattered to the floor as the research lolis clung to the walls, barely keeping their balance.
Alarms blared throughout the facility.
"Did the equipment just explode?"
Setsuna and the shipgirls immediately raised energy shields, protecting everyone inside. Then, he noticed something strange.
The Honkai energy dispersed into the air was incredibly strong—identical to what he'd felt when summoning the Herrscher of the Void.
"No... this is Honkai!!"
BOOM!!—
A torrent of Honkai energy burst from the rift, radiating outward and flooding most of the experimental chamber. The once pristine area was reduced to chaos and debris.
The massive machine was completely vaporized, leaving nothing behind—along with severe damage to the surrounding sections.
"Did we... mess up?"
Cecilia and Kallen stood dazed, still too shocked to process what had happened.
"No, impossible! My design couldn't have failed!"
Grey leapt up from the floor, grabbing a piece of debris. She quickly pulled up the holographic interface, frowning as her hands raced across the data streams.
"According to readings, a massive Honkai eruption just occurred nearby—output exceeded 56,000 HW, ten times stronger than the one that summoned the Herrscher of the Void!"
"Because we were connected to the Imaginary Space at that exact moment, the Honkai energy resonated with our system. It got drawn into the machine... and overloaded it."
"Huh?!"
Everyone froze.
It had been a complete coincidence—a freak accident.
"Honkai?! Why now of all times?"
"Report all departments—damage assessment!"
Setsuna opened communications with the rest of the station.
"Life Sciences Division reports no casualties. A few Honkai Beasts broke containment, but the Angeloids are rounding them up..."
"Engineering Division nominal. Bulins are conducting system diagnostics and repairs."
"..."
Fortunately, the station's structure was durable enough to withstand the blast. The experimental chamber, being detached from the main complex and situated in an open area, prevented further damage.
Once Setsuna confirmed there were no major losses, he finally exhaled in relief.
"Ugh..."
"Should've installed the extra shielding. Damn, I shouldn't have tried to save on build time," Grey muttered, scratching her head as she stared mournfully at the destroyed machine.
"Where did that Honkai Eruption occur?! Of all times, it had to happen now? Great, now Bulin's going to have to work overtime again!"
Beep—
Sophon's transmission came through.
"Report to the Commander: a Honkai event occurred on Earth two minutes ago. The epicenter is in Central Eurasia. Primary observation targets remain safe."
"Confirmed: this is the Third Honkai Eruption."
"Hah?—"
Grey's expression twisted further.
"Talk about bad timing."
"56,000 HW of Honkai energy? If I remember right, anything above 1,000 HW is enough to spawn a Herrscher..." Einstein murmured in disbelief.
"Correct. Multiple unidentified entities have manifested," Sophon replied.
"Hm?"
Setsuna raised an eyebrow.
"So new Herrschers appeared? Who?"
He wasn't particularly worried about wild Herrschers—just curious. Normally, after the Herrscher of the Void, the next in line would be the Third Herrscher—the Herrscher of Thunder.
But the Thunder Core was in his possession, and Raiden Mei was in no condition to transform.
"..."
"Scanning targets now..."
"Report: the Herrschers generated by this eruption are not individual entities. There are many of them, and their strength is below that of a standard Herrscher."
"Huh?"
Setsuna's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the transmitted image.
"So many Herrschers at once?... Wait—hold up, it's them?!"
—
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